French for house viewings
For anyone house-hunting in France and dealing with the agence immobilière (estate agency): booking a viewing, asking about the age, roof, heating and drainage as you look round, talking about the price, the offer, preliminary contract and notary, then following up by phone or email. Every phrase comes with pronunciation and uses the polite vous form.
Pronunciation in six rules
French is not pronounced the way it is written, but it follows fixed rules. With these six you can read listings, survey reports and place names correctly.
Silent endings
Many letters at the end of a word are not pronounced: prix, price = “PREE”, toit, roof = “TWA”. A final e is usually silent too.
Nasal vowels
an and en sound like a nasal “ah” (written “an~”), on like a nasal “oh” (“on~”), in and ain like a nasal “eh” (“eh~”): terrain, plot of land = “teh-REH~”. The n itself is not pronounced.
Two vowels, one sound
ou is oo, oi is wa, au and eau are oh, eu is roughly the u in fur, ai is eh: travaux, building work = “tra-VOH”.
u, é and è
For u, say ee with your lips rounded as for oo (surface = “sewr-FAS”). é is like the ay in day, without the glide; è and ê are like the e in bed: foncière = “fon~-SYEHR”.
ch, gn and j
ch is “sh” (chauffage, heating), gn is the ny in canyon (signer, to sign). j, and g before e and i, sound like the s in measure: agence = “a-ZHAN~S”.
Stress and linking
Stress falls lightly on the last syllable. If a word ends in a consonant and the next begins with a vowel, they are joined: nous aimerions = “noo-zeh-muh-RYON~”.
In the pronunciation below, the stressed syllable is in CAPITALS, syllables are joined with “-”, words are separated by spaces and “·” separates two sentences. A tilde marks a nasal vowel: “an~”, “on~”, “eh~”. ew is the French u, uh the short e in le and the eu in vendeur, ay as in day without the glide, zh the s in measure, sh as in ship, y as in yes. The French r is made at the back of the throat.
Booking a viewing
- Bonjour, je vous appelle au sujet de la maison à vendre à Uzès.bon~-ZHOOR zhuh voo-za-PEL oh sew-ZHEH duh la meh-ZON~ a VAN~DR a ew-ZEHSHello, I'm calling about the house for sale in Uzès.
- Est-ce qu'elle est toujours disponible ?es-KEL eh too-ZHOOR dee-spo-NEEBLIs it still available?
- Nous aimerions la visiter.noo-zeh-muh-RYON~ la vee-zee-TAYWe'd like to view it.
- Est-ce que samedi matin vous conviendrait ?es-kuh sam-DEE ma-TEH~ voo kon~-vyeh~-DREHWould Saturday morning suit you?
- Pourriez-vous m'envoyer les diagnostics avant la visite ?poo-ryay-VOO man~-vwa-YAY lay dee-ag-nos-TEEK a-VAN~ la vee-ZEETCould you send me the survey reports before the viewing?
Looking round
- De quelle année date la maison ?duh kel a-NAY dat la meh-ZON~What year was the house built?
- Quelle est la surface habitable ?kel eh la sewr-FAS a-bee-TABLWhat is the living area?
- Le toit a été refait quand ?luh TWA a ay-TAY ruh-FEH KAN~When was the roof redone?
- La maison est-elle bien isolée ?la meh-ZON~ eh-TEL byeh~-nee-zo-LAYIs the house well insulated?
- Il y a des traces d'humidité ici.eel-YA day TRAS dew-mee-dee-TAY ee-SEEThere are signs of damp here.
- Quels travaux faut-il prévoir ?kel tra-VOH foh-TEEL pray-VWARWhat work should we expect to do?
Heating, drainage and survey reports
- Comment la maison est-elle chauffée ?ko-MAN~ la meh-ZON~ eh-TEL shoh-FAYHow is the house heated?
- Est-ce que la maison est raccordée au tout-à-l'égout ?es-kuh la meh-ZON~ eh ra-kor-DAY oh too-ta-lay-GOOIs the house connected to the mains sewer?
- Il y a une fosse septique ? Elle est aux normes ?eel-YA ewn fohs sep-TEEK · el eh oh NORMIs there a septic tank? Does it meet the regulations?
- Avez-vous le rapport du SPANC ?a-vay-VOO luh ra-POR dew SPAN~KDo you have the inspection report from the drainage authority?
- Quelle est la classe énergétique du DPE ?kel eh la klas ay-nehr-zhay-TEEK dew day-pay-UHWhat rating does the energy performance certificate give?
If the house is not on mains drainage, the seller must provide an inspection report from the SPANC, the local authority for private sewage systems, that is no more than three years old. If the system does not comply, you usually have to bring it up to standard within a year of the purchase.
Costs and price
- À combien s'élève la taxe foncière ?a kon~-BYEH~ say-LEV la taks fon~-SYEHRHow much is the property tax?
- Quel est le montant des charges de copropriété ?kel eh luh mon~-TAN~ day SHARZH duh ko-pro-pree-ay-TAYHow much are the service charges?
- Les frais d'agence sont-ils compris dans le prix ?lay freh da-ZHAN~S son~-TEEL kon~-PREE dan~ luh PREEIs the agency fee included in the price?
- Le prix est-il négociable ?luh PREE eh-TEEL nay-go-SYABLIs the price negotiable?
- Vu les travaux, le prix nous paraît un peu élevé.vew lay tra-VOH · luh PREE noo pa-REH eh~ puh ayl-VAYGiven the work needed, the price seems a little high to us.
- Nous serions prêts à faire une offre à 280 000 euros.noo suh-RYON~ PREH a fehr ew-NOFR a duh san~ ka-truh-veh~ MEEL uh-ROHWe'd be prepared to offer 280,000 euros.
Charges de copropriété only apply to flats, or houses that are part of a co-ownership, much like service charges on a UK leasehold flat.
Offer, preliminary contract and notary
- Nous souhaitons faire une offre d'achat par écrit.noo sweh-TON~ fehr ew-NOFR da-SHA par ay-KREEWe'd like to make a written offer.
- Quand pourrions-nous signer le compromis de vente ?kan~ poo-ryon~-NOO see-NYAY luh kon~-pro-MEE duh VAN~TWhen could we sign the preliminary contract?
- Le délai de rétractation commence quand ?luh day-LEH duh ray-trak-ta-SYON~ ko-MAN~S KAN~When does the cooling-off period start?
- Nous aimerions faire appel à notre propre notaire.noo-zeh-muh-RYON~ fehr a-PEL a notr propr no-TEHRWe'd like to bring in our own notary.
- Quelle est la date prévue pour l'acte authentique ?kel eh la dat pray-VEW poor lakt oh-tan~-TEEKWhat date is planned for signing the final deed at the notary's?
Following up by phone and email
- Je vous rappelle au sujet de notre visite de samedi.zhuh voo ra-PEL oh sew-ZHEH duh notr vee-ZEET duh sam-DEEI'm getting back to you about our viewing on Saturday.
- Le vendeur a-t-il répondu à notre offre ?luh van~-DUHR a-TEEL ray-pon~-DEW a notr OFRHas the seller replied to our offer?
- Pourriez-vous me le confirmer par e-mail ?poo-ryay-VOO muh luh kon~-feer-MAY par ee-MELCould you confirm that by email?
- Bien cordialementbyeh~ kor-dyal-MAN~Kind regards (to close an email)
Good to know
False friends
A few words look familiar but mean something else: la location is renting, not the location. La cave is the cellar, le grenier the loft, and une pièce is a room, not a piece. Actuellement means currently, not actually.
Reading listings
T3 or F3 means three main rooms, so a living room plus two bedrooms, with kitchen and bathroom not counted. UK listings count bedrooms instead. FAI stands for frais d’agence inclus, agency fee included. À rafraîchir sounds harmless and means: needs renovating.
Polite in the conditional
French estate agents and sellers respond better to softer forms: nous aimerions, pourriez-vous, nous serions prêts. Instead of C’est trop cher, give a reason, such as the work needed or the energy rating.
Important things in writing
You make an offer in writing, and from the compromis de vente it becomes binding. The notaire handles the sale in place of a conveyancing solicitor and acts for both sides. Have the draft contract translated and checked before you sign. Emails begin with Madame, Monsieur, or Bonjour Madame Martin,.
How buying a house in France works
Our sister project Heimweit has a step-by-step guide to buying property in France: the process, the costs and the usual pitfalls.
A course for exactly your viewing
A phrasebook can only guess what you're planning. In LingoTrip you tell it: a stone house in the Dordogne, a viewing on Saturday, an old septic tank and an agent who only speaks French. LingoTrip builds a course around exactly those conversations, with audio, speech recognition and spaced review until the appointment.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google PlayFAQ
Does the estate agent speak English?
In Paris and popular holiday regions often a little, in the countryside usually not. With the seller, tradespeople and the survey reports you will need French at the latest. Even a few phrases show that you are serious.
What is the “délai de rétractation”?
It is your cooling-off period after the preliminary contract: as a private buyer you can withdraw within ten days without giving a reason. The period starts on the day after the signed contract is delivered to you. After that the contract is binding.
How long will it take to learn these phrases?
One to three weeks at a few minutes a day is enough for the phrases on this page. A course that practises exactly your viewing and your questions is the quickest way.
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